Princess Dianas ex-lover James Hewitt has branded disgraced journalist Martin Bashir a toad for taking advantage of her and turning him into the most hated man in the world.
Former Household Cavalry officer Mr Hewitt had a five-year affair with the-then Princess of Wales between 1986 and 1991.
Diana confirmed the affair during her Panorama interview in 1995 with Mr Bashir who it later transpired had tricked her into taking part in the programme.
And now Mr Hewitt, 66, has condemned the reporter, saying he still feels angry about the interview and how both he and Diana - who died in 1997 - were treated.
The Mail revealed in 2020 how Bashir had lied and forged his way to clinch his interview with the princess, in which she famously said there were three of us in this marriage.
The BBCs current director general Tim Davie later apologised for multiple serious failures in how Mr Bashir secured the interview after an inquiry in 2021 criticised the corporation for falling short of high standards of integrity and transparency.
It emerged that the journalist had shown Dianas brother Earl Spencer forged bank statements to make Diana think her inner circle was selling her secrets.
Speaking now about Mr Bashir, Mr Hewitt has told the Sun on Sunday: I think the chap needs to seriously search his conscience. To do it by deception is unforgivable and there is very little road back from that.
Princess Dianas former lover James Hewitt has been speaking out about ex-BBC journalist Martin Bashir and his 1995 Panorama interview with her
A 1989 photo shows Diana presenting the Captain and Subalterns Cup to Mr Hewitt after he led his Army polo team to glory at Tidworth, Wiltshire - their affair was ongoing at the time
Martin Bashir, pictured appearing on ITVs This Morning show in October 2019, was found to have used deceit in persuading Diana to give him the 1995 interview
Diana told the Panorama programme in November 1995 of her affair with James Hewitt
I dont know him personally, but I think any underhandedness - and particularly if its taking advantage of someones weakness and being a toad - is wrong. It did affect me and it had a huge effect.
I hope people realise that the whole of the programme should be seen for what it was - and that was to deceive somebody into saying things and doing things that they may not necessarily have been willing to say had all the facts been known.
It was not good for anybody except BBC figures and Martin Bashirs career. It wasnt exposing anything, it was just using lies and half-truths.
Mr Hewitt told the newspaper he became an international pariah as a result of the revelations, as he spoke of why he had since remained single.
He added: I think its pretty obvious given my history, and the difficulties thereafter, and having been the most hated person in the world.
Mr Hewitt had been a young Household Cavalry officer at the time of his relationship with the princess - while she was still married to the then-Prince of Wales and now King Charles - and served in the first Gulf war, commanding a tank squadron.
A now-iconic photo, taken during their secret relationship, shows Diana presenting the Captain and Subalterns Cup to Mr Hewitt after he led his Army polo team to glory at Tidworth, Wiltshire, in 1989.
In her Panorama interview with Mr Bashir, Diana said of Mr Hewitt: Yes, I adored him. Yes, I was in love with him. But I was very let down.
The princess, who was wed to Prince Charles at the time, told Martin Bashir: There were three of us in this marriage
James Hewitt, pictured here at the Royal Berkshire Polo Club in 1991, has today told of how the Panorama interview helped turn him into the most hated man in the world
The Daily Mail revealed in 2021 that Mr Hewitt was now living with his widowed mother in the Devon village of Farringdon, working as a £4,000-a-year gardener at her block of flats.
The following year he set up a not-for-profit to help vulnerable people escape from war-torn Ukraine, alongside the son of a decorated British commander who founded a similar fund in Afghanistan.
In recent years Mr Hewitt has suffered both a heart attack and a stroke yet in December 2022 it was revealed he was also driving thousands of miles across war-torn Ukraine to rescue innocent civilians left by Russias invasion.
He has described his work as a driver and fund-raiser with the Make A Difference Foundation charity as giving him a new lease of life.
The organisations Operation SafeDrop initiative has been making aid drops to Ukraine while also helping evacuate more than 3,000 people to safety.
Mr Hewitt, who is due to carry out his 16th aid drop this coming January, added: I didnt want to be sitting at home on the sofa watching television and shouting at it every time Putins ugly mug came on.
Time is seriously running out and watching Remembrance Day last week - and thinking of all the people that have died fighting for freedom — made me wonder if we should be doing more.
Earlier this month Princess Dianas former chauffeur Steve Davies broke a 30-year-silence about his royal service to tell how his life was ruined by Mr Bashir falsely claiming he was leaking confidential information.
Mr Bashir, seen questioning Princess Diana for the 1995 Panorama broadcast, was found to have used mocked-up bank statements ahead of securing the interview
Princess Diana, seen hearing leaving the studios of the English National Ballet in February 1996, died in a Paris car crash in August the following year at the age of 36
In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Mr Davies revealed how the lies poisoned the Princess against him and destroyed his career as one of the Royal Familys most trusted drivers.
Mr Davies said he was given no explanation when he was suddenly made redundant in March 1996 after eight years of service as a royal chauffeur, four of which were spent as Dianas personal driver.
It was only two years ago, when he saw an episode of the Netflix drama The Crown that he learnt what had happened.
At a meeting in September 1995, Bashir had falsely told Diana and Earl Spencer that Mr Davies was feeding a newspaper with information, part of his scheme to make her feel insecure and trust him with an interview.
Mr Davies said this month of the deception: I was forced out of a job I wanted to be my lifes work.
Royal service is about being trusted and loyal, showing discretion, having a sense of duty. Your reputation, your good name is everything. Martin Bashir robbed me of mine by making those allegations to Diana.